Do you feel like singing?

This is the first wreath I've added to my shop in a while.

I'll be adding more wreaths similar to it later in the week.

You may see it here:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/55171318/bountifully-thanksgiving-vintage-book

Thanks for stopping by,

Lana

~*~

I'm moving...

... moving from a vintage, eclectic, cluttered kitchen to a freshly painted, new flooring kind of kitchen and I can hardly wait!

And no, my counters are not THAT cluttered, lol! I have a shelf near the ceiling in the kitchen where I kept all the old kitchen collectibles ... and there were a lot! I am getting them down and washing them to have ready to add to my Junk Sale this weekend.

I've also been rounding up all my ironstone and other china and pottery pieces to see what I will keep and what I will let go. In the meantime I have been stacking it on the shelf and top of the cabinet to keep it out of the way.

The kitchen has been a sunny yellow with stenciled red and green apples for years and years and we are FINALLY going to be able to re-do it.

The shelf is coming down, walls and cabinets are going to be painted, and a new floor will be installed!

I'm hoping to talk someone (who shall remain nameless) into tearing out the wall between the kitchen and dining area. Wish me luck!!! :)

These are pretty sad before photos, but I will be sure to come back with beautiful after pics... and maybe some in progress ones if I'm brave enough! I will also share the after photos of the bathroom a little later.

Thanks for stopping by and if you know someone who likes old kitchen collectibles, send them my way this weekend! :)

Take Care and God Bless,

Lana

~*~

Have you visited PPPP lately?

Poppets, Portraits and Playthings of the Past: Minds at Work:

“Curiosity is one of the permanent and certain characteristics of a vigorous mind.” Samuel Johnson 1709-1784

~*~

Suzanne and Lana have been putting their minds together to create an enchanting webshow for you this fall.

Please continue to visit as they leave a trail of hints as to what has inspired their creations.

 

(click the link just above the quote to see the PPPP blog)

 

~*~

Soldier Unknown continues...

Last year I began a blog about an unknown WWII soldier and his diary. Without explaining all the reasons in detail, suffice it to say, life got in the way and I dropped the ball. :(

It's been nearly a year since the last post and so I will begin blogging the soldier's diary entries once again in September ~ the entries coincide with the actual dates in the diary. Please read the sidebar on this page to understand more about Soldier Unknown.

If you'd like to link to it on your blog, please feel free to take the Share the Journal photo on the SU sidebar and add it to your blog.

Thanks!

Lana

p.s. The Fund My Flooring, please! junk sale is going well. There are items left to browse and more to be added on the 28th.

Fund My Flooring, please!

(old green glass bottles)

Good morning!

I worked most of the day and evening (on Saturday) getting things ready for a Junk Sale.

As you know, when doing home renovations, one thing usually leads to another.

(vintage gold rings / wheat glasses)

You decide a room needs paint, and after you have painted, the floors looks old, or you do a repair and then the rest of the floor needs repairing, and so on...

(old glass jars)

Our home was built in 1987 and the homeowners chose time-span linoleum for the kitchen and bath. Over the years, it has gradually pulled away from the walls where it was stapled. It has to be replaced.

(vintage Zubian sealing wax and Princess candles)

Several years ago we put down tongue and groove wood flooring in the living and dining rooms and hallway. It was beautiful and I loved it, especially the wide boards! When we built another bedroom addition, extending the length of the house, that left the new part of the hallway needing new flooring. Since the other part of the hall had been done years earlier and had darkened with age, it would be hard to match, especially since we cut our own trees and had them milled for the flooring.

(vintage gravy boat ~ I LOVE the crazing in the glaze!)

At this point the wood flooring is in need of refinishing so we really need to do something, such as put new flooring in the all those areas plus the unfinished part of the hallway. Both boys' rooms have carpet and with Wesley's allergies, I'd love to get all the carpet out of the house once and for all!

(original painting by Jennifer Lanne)

We found linoleum we liked at a local supplier. They also have some beautiful wood laminate on clearance, and we would like to buy enough boxes to do the remaining rooms in the house. The thing is, they have a limited amount left and I need to buy nearly 40 boxes before they are gone.

(new laminate that we have chosen)

It's dark brown, which is surprising considering I thought I would always want light floors. I brought samples home and when placed against the white trim and cream walls, it's beautiful!

We would like to get linoleum for the kitchen and bath (which looks very similar to the faux tile laminate we have in the foyer at only 1/2 the cost), and wood laminate for the rest of the house to get all of the floors in tip top shape...

So, that's why I'm calling this sale "FUND MY FLOORING, please!" and if you would like to do a bit of shopping, just click on THIS LINK to visit my junk sale page.

(vintage gold rimmed mug)

I'll be adding more items next weekend, too! :)

Have a blessed day,

Lana

~*~

p.s  If you'd like to help spread the word, I'd really appreciate it! If you blog about it, please use one of the photos in my post or from the Junk Sale page and link to this post and also add a link to my Junk Sale page. Let me know you have blogged it, and to thank you, I'll give you 10% off your Junk Sale order. :)

Help! (updated)

I was going through some of my things this morning, getting ready to thin out a bit and take photos for an online junk sale...

I placed this old jar in the pitcher, just to make room on the counter.

It slipped right in...

A few minutes later when I started to get it out, it turned slightly sideways and got stuck!!!

I've tried

dish liquid,

vegetable oil,

hot water,

cold water...

help!

It is stuck!

Any ideas?

:(

~*~

Thank you for all the suggestions! :)

Glad we could amuse you Lenore, lol! ;)
Yvonne, I laughed about saying a prayer and then whacking it on the counter!
And Ginny, I did think about leaving them stuck together.
Carol, I thought about freezing them, but then was afraid I'd break them if they got too cold.
Julie, I didn't have Pam, but I did try cooking oil and then dish liquid, but that didn't work.
Cheryl, I put ice cubes in the jar and placed the pitcher in very warm water in the sink...

and waited...

and then my son came into the kitchen and tried to get them apart a few times to no avail...

then my husband came home from work and Wesley just had to tell his dad that
"mom needs help"...

I told Roger to just leave them alone and I'd work on them later,
but you know guys...

so Roger wriggled them a bit...

and a bit more...

and then they slipped just a bit...

and I said ok, it's working, just leave it alone and I'll finish up...

but you know guys...

so Roger wriggled them a bit more while Wesley looked on...

and I heard a little sound...

and I said ok, that's enough, I've got it...

but you know guys...

they just can't let something get the best of them...

and it didn't...

the pitcher cracked and the jar came out.

Grrrr, guys!!!

I will say though, that if one had to break I'm glad it was the fairly new pitcher and not the old glass jar.
I love those glass jars...

and I love my guys! :)

~*~

Now, in reference to my junk sale...

I'll be posting more information about it tomorrow and explaining what it will be funding.

If you like old glass bottles, antique gold rimmed glassware, etched glass carafes and drinking glasses, craft books, cream pottery, etc. I just may have something you'd like.

Thanks for checking back in!
Lana
~*~

Pincushions & Pumpkins

(pincushion clamp)

I've been working on new product designs here at home, and while some of them are time more consuming, I did need to get a few more things added to my Honeysuckle Lane Etsy shop.

(round make-do pincushion)

I dug out the designs that I carved a couple years ago and made more hand-pulled prints.

I like the textural look I get when printing on watercolor paper.

(strawberry make-do pincushion)

My block print designs are based on antique pincushions that I own (the pincushion clamp and the round pincushion) and one that I made that was inspired by antiques I have seen elsewhere (strawberry make-do pincushion).

(part of my pincushion collection)

I also printed more of my pumpkins.

I loved making these and I am coming out with new block print designs this fall.

These were inspired by the fabric pumpkins that I have been making for several years.

The baskets and urns were inspired by early fraktur work designs.

If you like these, you may see them and read the full descriptions here.

A purchase of the entire set of three (pincushions or pumpkins) will entitle you to a free block print as seen below:

I was looking back through my blog posts, and I think I started relief printmaking in middle of 2008 because I posted a little about it here.

Well, I guess I'd better get back to work. I have a few special orders to finish and my notebook of designs is begging to come to life as actual objects and curiosities. :)

Take Care and God Bless,

Lana

~*~

Did someone say snow???

Here on the Cumberland Plateau (in TN) the daily temperature has been in the low to mid 90s with a heat index of 105 - 110. It's been miserably hot for those without A/C or those that work outdoors, my husband being one of the latter. I know my husband is looking forward to cooler weather.

I have been thinking of cooler weather, too...

much cooler weather

and decided to make a snow angel for my Simply Primitives update.

My snow folk are usually shades of white, cream, and ivory as seen here.

This time I thought I'd make one with a bit of color for my prim friends. :)

This Early Coverlet Snow Angel is clothed in a hand made early coverlet robe that I have trimmed with frayed, fringed linen and antique mother of pearl buttons.

She will be available at Simply Primitives later tonight.

While there, be sure to visit all the other wonderful shops!

~*~

I suppose with cooler weather on my mind, I am thinking of blue.

The snow angel has a blue and cream coverlet robe,

and today I finished and listed (in my Etsy shop) a Scandinavian blue and winter white choker.

It is made using an upcycled vintage book spine and bamboo / rayon felt for the base fabric ~ a great eco-friendly item!

I'll be editing lots of photos over the next few days and will be back with the 127 Sale pics and some great flea market and thrift store finds next week.

Thanks for stopping by!

Take care and God bless,

Lana

~*~

Can you tell me ...

... what this is?

Obviously it's a brooch ...

I think it's Victorian.

... possibly silver, though I can't find any markings ...

The piece hanging near the bottom has an aqua colored cabochon ...

but I don't think the cabochon is glass ...

I found this wonderful old brooch at a booth at the 127 Sale (more pics of the sale to come in another post in a few days).

Any ideas?

Thanks!

:)